Lismore City Council says the success of Groovin the Moo has strengthened the city’s standing as a regional destination for major events.
More than 8,000 people attended the music festival at Oakes Oval on Saturday, with Council describing the event as another step in its strategy to attract nationally significant events to the region.
Mayor Steve Krieg said the festival reflected Council’s long-term investment in infrastructure and event development.
“Lismore has always been known as an events hub, but what we are seeing now is the result of intentional planning and investment to ensure we lift that standard to be recognised by major event operators as a city that makes hosting events of a national scale easy,” he said.
“We are building and activating facilities that can host everything from elite sport to major cultural events and that creates real benefits for our economy, our businesses and our reputation as a regional city that is open for business.”
Council is now working with festival organiser Fuzzy on plans for the event’s future in Lismore.
“We are currently working toward establishing a Memorandum of Understanding with the intention of setting the foundations for a multi-year agreement between Council and Fuzzy,” Krieg said.
“That process will give both Council and the organisers a clear understanding of how we can continue working together to grow the event in Lismore and ensure it continues to get bigger and better every year.”
Groovin the Moo joins a series of major events recently hosted in Lismore, including the Legends of Cricket match, an A-League fixture between Newcastle Jets and Brisbane Roar, and the Rumble on the River Olympic pathway skateboarding event.
“These events are helping drive visitation, support local business and strengthen Lismore’s reputation as a regional city capable of hosting major events at the highest level,” Krieg said.
Council said the festival delivered economic benefits across the region, with about half the suppliers engaged for the event based in Lismore and half the security workforce drawn from the Northern Rivers. Local staff were also employed in bar and event operations.
Fuzzy chief executive Adelle Robinson said the Lismore event ranked among the best she had worked on in three decades in the industry.
“From the moment I did the venue tour of Oakes Oval it was clear it was going to be a real collaboration between ourselves, the Council and the people of Lismore. That collaboration is what made this show really special,” she said.
“We want to thank the people of Lismore for hosting us, for telling us what you wanted from the show and for showing up in droves on Saturday. See you all next year!”
Lismore is scheduled to host major events each month through to October, including Norco Primex and Lismore Gemfest later this month at the Lismore Showground. The two events are expected to attract more than 33,000 visitors combined.
Council said its focus was on building long-term partnerships and creating a sustainable pipeline of returning events.
“We are committed to growing our city, our reputation and our economy through this type of activation,” Krieg said.
“We have a team within Council that thrives on delivering major events, building strong industry relationships and looking to the future to ensure Lismore continues to be home to these kinds of events, not just a one-off location.”
Read all the way through to the end of the story? So did lots of other people. Advertise with North Coast Times to reach locals who are interested and engaged. Find out more here.